A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention is directed to a self-diagnosis system for checking all functions of a cellular-transceiver system. The present invention has especial relevance to a cellular-interface system, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,658,096 and 4,737,975, which are incorporated by reference herein. In the systems of these patents, an interface unit couples a standard telephone set, facsimile machine, modem, or other communications devices, to a cellular, or cellular-like, transceiver, which interface unit allows for normal operation of the communications device through the radio transceiver. The interface unit may also convert DTMF or pulse-type of dialing signals into digital format for transmission to the radio transceiver, whereby the dialed number made may be used to call a number over the radio system by means of the transceiver. The system of the invention tests for the proper operation of all functions of the adapter interface unit, as well other characteristics, such as the power output of the radio transceiver, which can be varied by either signals from the transceiver or from the radio network, or the frequency at which the transceiver is utilizing, which can be changed selectively by either the transceiver or the cellular network.
The diagnostic and testing system of the present invention may be used in any cellular-like system, such as a pure cellular system, or cellular-like systems, such ISDN and other personal communication systems, where a cellular-like adapter or interface unit is provided for converting the DTMF or pulse-type of dialing signals into digital format for transmission to the cellular-like transceiver associated with the cellular-like system.
It is known to provide diagnostic and testing equipment for entire cellular systems. It is also known to provide a self-contained unit that tests itself. The latter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,269xe2x80x94Rogers, which is incorporated by reference herein, which discloses a cellular-telephone, emergency call-box. This patent discloses self-diagnostics that are performed by the call-box itself. The call-box of this patent has self-diagnostics within it, and periodically reports the status of items checked to a central station through the cellular network. Rogers, discloses a cellular handset and transceiver and associated auto-diagnostic system for checking on the system and for reporting back to a central station. However, this patent does not disclose the monitoring and self-diagnostic function of a DTMF converter, such as used in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,658,096 and 4,737,975, nor does Rogers disclose the initiation of a ring-back tone from the central office to check on proper working of the system.
The types of cellular-like systems, besides the pure-type of cellular systems, in which the present invention may be used, are those that relate generally to a wireless digital personal communications systems having a plurality of intelligent base stations and intelligent portable handset terminals, each having a predetermined radio cell coverage area, and more particularly to a digital, radio cell, radio-telephone, personal communications system (or PCS) having a full ISDN interface, thereby facilitating direct interconnection and switching of PCS call traffic through the ISDN interface and the public switched telephone network, or any switched network, the personal communications system having voice/data/image (or any combination thereof) and two-way full-duplex incoming and outgoing calling capability, and being fully operational and compatible with any modulation approach selected, with the intercell protocol hand-off being provided through distributed logic which is implemented in software that is resident in the intelligent portable handset terminals, the intelligent base stations, and the public switched telephone network (or any switched network) equipped with a PCS service control data base.
The increasing availability of mobile and portable communications over the past decade is freeing business and residential users from the physical constraints of a totally wired telecommunications network. Particularly, cellular communications systems, together with paging and other complementary services, brought true mobility to telecommunications services for the first time. Significant technical advances in mobile and portable technologies, as well as in new technologies such as digital transmission with respect to wireless telecommunications, have substantially expanded the number and types of wireless telecommunications services using the radio spectrum that can be made available to the user. These prospective services include, but are not limited to, advanced forms of cellular telephone service, advanced digital cordless telephone service, portable facsimile services, wireless centrex, wireless private branch exchange services, and wireless local area network services, and may be used through the existing public switched network or through alternative local wired networks (such as cable television systems). As such, digital personal communications systems can exist independently of, and in conjunction with, local wired networks, filling gaps that are existing in current communications systems, and also in creating new markets, many of which are yet to be defined. The advent of PCS will have a great impact on the future development and configuration of all telecommunications networks by significantly improving their flexibility and functionality. Accordingly, providers of PCS will have the ability to reach and serve existing and new markets nationally in an economic and responsive manner.
Personal communications requirements in the United States are rapidly changing as the demand for instantaneous communications increases due to increased mobility of the user. One of the advantages of PCS is that it will use a single communications device to reach anyone, anytime, anywhere. PCS will facilitate increased mobility and flexibility of the user, since this approach solves the underlying problem of being in constant communications with user. PCS wireless will enable users not to miss important calls, as well as reduce the time and expense in returning calls. PCS combines the functionality of radio and the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) technologies and infrastructure, and will accommodate full-duplex capabilities (two-way incoming and outgoing calling) and hand-off between radio cells (allowing users to freely move from one radio cell to another without interrupting the user""s call). It is important to remember that there has been a steady increasing demand for new PCS services and technologies for numerous, sometimes incompatible, applications, namely, wireless private branch exchanges, smaller lighter portable cellular phones, portable fax machines, multi-channel cordless telephones, and additional services which are targeting the facilitation of contacting a particular individual user (rather than contacting a particular station). Current radio equipment and related services presently offered (i.e., cordless telephones, radio paging, and cellular radio) cannot fully meet the demands for these new types of PCS services. For example, cordless telephones are used in and around the home or office, operate on only a very few channels (10 or so) that are congested, and are limited to use in the immediate vicinity of their associated base station. Radio paging services are only one-way and have limited capabilities. Cellular and specialized mobile radio services cannot meet the full range of expected demand for PCS. Over time, PCS will have standardized equipment with common modules in hardware resulting in improved reliability in the associated equipment which will also be less vulnerable to transient interference from external sources, have automatic call registration, automatic call forwarding, voice mail, faxing capability, easy roaming features, remote data transfer, increased privacy protection/caller ID/class services, increased battery life, and common protocols. In order to best fulfill this marketplace mandate, a digital PCS is a necessity. Wireless PCS may eventually eliminate the need to have a building hard-wired for communications. Generally speaking, PCS will facilitate communications equipment with additional features. A digital PCS will facilitate improvements in technical communications equipment, systems and design.
The present invention, therefore, may be used in those ISDN or other PCS systems where there is provided a cellular-type adapter or interface board that allows for the use of a standard, land-type telephone instrument in this system, or other communications device, by converting the DTMF or pulse signals thereof into digital format that may be sent to a PCS transceiver unit, or by providing other functions that may be specific to the system. For example, in dedicated alarm systems where only outgoing calls are made by the radio transceiver, the interface unit need not provide ring generation, busy signal generation, and the like. Alternatively, in those systems where only incoming calls are required, the interface unit need not convert dialed DTMF or pulse signals into digital format. Such a PCS-cellular adapter also provides all of the other functions required, such as the generation of dial tone, ringing, and the like, as the cellular interface board set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,658,096 and 4,737,975.
It is, therefore, the primary objective of the present invention to provide a self-diagnostic system for a checking all functions of a cellular-transceiver system having a cellular-interface unit, which interface unit couples a standard, land-like telephone set, or other communications device, to a cellular transceiver, or to a cellular-like, such as a PCS or ISDN transceiver, which interface unit converts the DTMF or pulse-type of dialing signals into digital format for transmission to the cellular, or cellular-like, transceiver, whereby the dialed number made on the land-type of telephone instrument, or its equivalent, may be used to call a number over the cellular, or cellular-like, system. The present invention not only monitors and checks the proper functioning of the cellular, or cellular-like, transceiver and associated power supply, and the like, but will also monitor and check the cellular, or cellular-like, interface unit, and report the results to an off-site monitoring center by means of the cellular, or cellular-like, network.
The testing apparatus of the invention is capable of being coupled to an interface unit which couples a communications device to a radio transceiver for either calling out or receiving calls through the radio transceiver, the testing apparatus having its own diagnostics for monitoring and reporting the proper functioning of the interface unit.
The testing apparatus alternately couples the diagnostics to the interface unit, which said diagnostics simulates the functions performed by a communications device, such as a land line telephone, facsimile machine, modem, and the like, for generating in the interface unit respective, corresponding responses in the interface unit, in order to determine if the interface unit is operating correctly.
The testing apparatus will also generate an off-hook signal to the interface unit, as well as detect the presence of a dial-tone signal generated from the interface unit in response to the of the off-hook signal.
The testing apparatus will also generate a DTMF signal and send the signal to the interface unit, as well as detecting the DTMF signal output by the interface unit in response to the DTMF signal generated.
The testing apparatus also generates an on-hook signal to the interface unit, as well as an off-hook signal to the interface unit during the time that the interface unit is generating its ring-signal, in order to determine that the interface unit properly disconnects the ring-signal upon the answering of an incoming telephone call. The testing apparatus also generates an outgoing telephone call through the telephone network, when said the interface unit is coupled to a transceiver, and back to the transceiver, whereby the diagnostics causes the transceiver to make a telephone call to itself, with the diagnostics detecting the generation of a busy-signal by the transceiver in response to the telephone call.
The testing may be initiated from a remote, telemaintenance center by means of a signal to a remote-reporting section of the auto-diagnostic unit. After the testing has been completed, the results are transmitted to the remote, telemaintenance center by means of the cellular, or cellular-like, network. The remote-reporting section will attempt to transmit the test-results data a number of times, before ceasing. If the auto-diagnostic unit is initiated locally at the site, the test-results may still be transmitted to the remote, telemaintenance center by means of the cellular, or cellular-like, network.